Cynthia Lord's Blog, page 39

December Events

Lobster Traps, Maine. Photo by my husband, John

Tuesday, December 4, School visit, Sangster Elementary School, Springfield, Virginia
Wednesday, December 5, School visit, Daniels Run Elementary School, Fairfax, Virginia
Thursday, December 6, School visits, Ravensworth and Rolling Valley Elementary Schools, Springfield, Virginia
Friday, December 7, School visit, Franconia Elementary School, Alexandria, Virginia

Thank you, Rumford Elementary School!

I'm in the beautiful western mountains of Maine, spending two days with the great staff and students at Rumford Elementary School.  And what a welcome they gave me! 



I loved the big hot rod racetrack. On each car, the student wrote the name of their favorite book.



Lisa Schroeder, do you see It's Raining Cupcakes in the following photo?



I was delighted to see so many Hot Rod Hamsters. :-)



When I turned down the first hallway, I gasped at the lights. They were everywhere!



"Wow," I said to the little girl who was walking me to the library. "This looks like magic."

"We did it for you," she said. 



What a great day!  And I get to spend another day there today. :-) 

Wordless Wednesday

Boothbay Harbor, Maine. Photo by my husband, John

Mine First

Kettle Cove, Maine. Photo by my husband, John

I'm changing gears for two weeks now to visit six schools, and then I have a long pause with public speaking until March. Winter is a great time to write in Maine, because the weather encourages you to stay home, not to dash out to the store or the post office to solve every, tiniest issue as soon as it comes up. Instead little things are allowed to wait, to pile up like snow and be dealt with together. I plan better in the winter, turn inward, and that splintered energy of nicer days can be focused into something creative.

I've promised the revisions on Loonsong, my next novel, back to my editor at the end of this year, but in the time it will take for her to do her own work on it, I have the wide-open chance to begin something new in January. It'll be the first time in twelve years that I won't have an outstanding contract. That's a mix of scary and exciting. Scary because there are a million "what ifs" of uncertainty with that, but exciting because whatever I write next will be mine first. This book will truly begin with a blank page.

There's something powerful in knowing that for me. Something that makes my heart quicken. Something that makes me eager for that first day when I allow myself to start imagining where and who and what it will be.

Halfway

Believe you can and you're halfway there. --Theodore Roosevelt



My new book has 24 chapters, and I revised Chapter 12 this morning.  So I'm halfway through, halfway to sending it back to my editor. 

I have two weeks of school visits now, so Chapter 13 will have to wait until I've done those visits. 

But halfway is a good place to be. 

Who took the carrots from The Cookie Jar?

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"What is this magical thing of which you speak called LEFTOVERS?"

When I was making our Thanksgiving foods, all the ends and peelings of the carrots and apples and such went into a mason jar for our guinea pig, Cookie. We call it "The Cookie Jar." He gets excited when he sees me coming to his cage with it.

If you haven't had the chance to see this. . .

It really is wonderful.

And here's the story behind it.

Christmas Shopping

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I started a Christmas tradition with my daughter, Julia, when she was in elementary school. Every year we buy two new tree ornaments: one for her and one for me.

Sometimes they are exactly the same, but most often they are the same kind, but a little different. Some years they're beautiful (glass pine cones), some years they're funny (moose tangled up in lights), sometimes we buy them way out of season because we're gone somewhere special together (a pelican and an alligator from New Orleans).

Someday, when she has her own home and her own tree, she'll take her half of all those sets with her. And we'll think of each other as we put them on our own trees. But for now, they go on our tree together, a new pair every year.

This year we went with ones that made us laugh. Our dog, Milo, is half Pomeranian (and half Maltese) and these Poms made us think of him.

Happy Thanksgiving

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"Mom, I'm sorry," my daughter said. "I was taking the pies out of the oven and one slipped and hit the oven door."

This is the reason Cool Whip exists. And since it's only the four of us today, we cut into the "smashing pumpkins" pie last night. And really, it tasted just as good as the prettier one will today.

And my son who has autism is not a fan of pies or turkey.  But Thanksgiving is about being grateful, more than about gravy. I am very grateful for him and all he brings into my life, so in addition to the turkey, there will be chicken nuggets on our table, because that is what he likes.

I got up before dawn to work on my chapter before tackling the turkey. The house smells wonderful now. I'm thankful for so many things today, not the least of which is that I get to do something I love for a living and spend this frosty, wonderful Thanksgiving Day with people I love.

Blessings of the day to everyone.

Wordless Wednesday

Hanging with the big birds!